"Good spectrum of ethical examples. Very useful."

Purpose and Background

Contrary to what most people believe, trust is not some soft, illusive quality that you either have or don’t have; rather trust is a pragmatic, tangible, actionable asset that you can create” (Motivational writer Max Anderson). Why mention trust? Because earning it is the principal reason to practice ethical behavior and that theme permeates this webinar. Think about it:

• We follow the trusted leader
• We seek advice from the trusted friend
• Clients retain the trusted firm
• Employers hire and promote the trusted engineer
• Citizens support the trusted official

This webinar offers practical ideas and information to help you navigate those often choppy and sometimes turbulent ethical waters so that you can earn trust.

Busy and sometimes harried engineers and other technical professionals frequently encounter varied ethical situations. These challenges may involve issues such as: deciding who is to blame, determining if contractual requirements have been met, utilization of sensitive information, claims of expertise, billing of time, negative impact on the environment, giving and accepting gifts, and treatment of employees. Some ethical issues are readily resolved and others require careful analysis. This 90-minute webinar focuses on the latter by offering practical ideas and information to help you navigate those often choppy and sometimes turbulent ethical waters.

Ethics is pragmatic; (note the semi-colon) it is all about earning trust that we can take to the bank, figuratively and literally. In combination with our technical and non-technical expertise, ethical behavior is essential to earning and keeping the trust of colleagues and those we serve. Webinar participants receive a detailed handout on which the webinar will draw. The handout includes references to articles, books, e-newsletters, websites, and other self-study materials such as 10 ethics case studies.

Learning Outcomes

• Explain how trust must be earned - it cannot be bought
• Describe the 4 legal-ethical quadrants
• Apply 6 techniques for resolving ethical issues
• Identify the principal common element among professional society ethics codes
• Discuss lessons learned from 2 in-depth case studies

Webinar Benefits

• Obtain ethics tools for individual and group use
• Earn more trust
• Win more work
• Increase awareness of ethical issues in your organization
• Protect your and your employer's reputation
• Reduce stress
• Advance your career
• Obtain 10 ethics case studies for post-webinar use

Intended Audience

This webinar ideas and tips apply to professional, personal, family, and community aspects of our lives such as:

• Students who want to deal proactively and intelligently with ethical issues ranging from readily resolved to very complex
• Individuals in the business, government, academic, and volunteer sectors

Webinar Outline

• A practical, process-oriented definition of ethics
• The personal values challenge - the ethics scale
• Whom are we cheating?
• The practical benefit of ethical behavior
• Starts at the top: Low cost and high impact
• Ethical and legal domain
• Codes: Employer and professional society
• Using codes
• Advice of experienced personnel
• 9-step procedure
• Elimination process
• Using moral imagination
• Case studies
• Resources for additional study